Ingredients:

  • 1 medium onion, diced (150g)
  • 3 medium carrots, sliced into rounds (120g)
  • 3 stalks celery, sliced (100g)
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced (20g)
  • 1 can (15 oz / 425g) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 can (15 oz / 425g) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup (60g) frozen peas
  • 1 cup (130g) zucchini, diced
  • 1 cup (100g) green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 can (28 oz / 794g) crushed tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp (30g) tomato paste
  • 6 cups (1.4L) low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 1 tsp (2g) dried oregano
  • 1 tsp (2g) dried thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tsp (6g) salt
  • ½ tsp (1g) black pepper
  • ½ cup (60g) small pasta (ditalini or shells)

Instructions:

  1. Combine the aromatics and bulk. Place your diced onion, sliced carrots, sliced celery, minced garlic, kidney beans, cannellini beans, diced zucchini, cut green beans, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, vegetable broth, oregano, thyme, bay leaf, salt, and black pepper into the slow cooker.
  2. Integrate the paste. Stir the mixture thoroughly until the tomato paste is fully integrated and no clumps remain. Note: This prevents salty pockets of paste in the final soup.
  3. The slow simmer. Set your slow cooker to Low for 6 hours or High for 3 hours. Cover and let it do its thing.
  4. Check the aroma. Around the 5 hour mark (on low), you should notice a rich, herbal scent filling the room. The carrots should be starting to soften.
  5. Add the texture. Approximately 30 minutes before serving, stir in the small pasta and frozen peas. Note: Adding pasta too early is the number one cause of mush soup.
  6. The al dente finish. Cover and continue cooking until the pasta is al dente (firm to the bite).
  7. Kill the heat. Switch off the slow cooker entirely.
  8. The final wilt. Stir in the fresh baby spinach until it just wilts from the residual heat.
  9. The brightness boost. Stir in the fresh lemon juice and chopped parsley. This is where the magic happens and the flavors wake up.